Dana Goldstein, one of the best education writers, now reports for the New York Times.
In this article, she describes the rush to expand vouchers for religious schools in Iowa.
You don’t have to look far to find funding by Betsy DeVos and the Koch brothers.
“Despite Republican control of the governor’s mansion and both houses of the State Legislature, proposals to significantly expand school choice programs in Iowa are stalled, at least for now. The pushback has come from groups traditionally opposed to the idea — Democrats, school districts, teachers’ unions and parents committed to public schools — but also from some conservatives concerned about the cost to the state.
“Iowa is one of 31 states where legislators have proposed creating or expanding school choice programs this year, without Washington even lifting a finger. Even if just a few of the bills pass, the number of children attending private schools with public money could greatly increase, one reason the proposals are meeting resistance.
“There is a national discussion about this, and obviously Donald Trump has brought it up,” said State Representative Walt Rogers, chairman of the House Education Committee. He said a modest expansion in Iowa remained possible this year. “I tell people, ‘This discussion isn’t going away.’”
“A powerful force in the movement is Mr. Trump’s secretary of education, the philanthropist Betsy DeVos. She has spent decades arguing that public schools have a monopoly on education and fighting for tax dollars to be available for private tuition.
“Mary Kakayo and her daughter Alma, 9, who attends St. Theresa Catholic School in Des Moines. The state covers more than half of Alma’s $3,025 tuition. Credit Kathryn Gamble for The New York Times
The issue is so important to her that she has sought to insert it into almost every statement she has made in her new role — even when it was an awkward fit, such as when she described historically black colleges as being created by school choice, when in reality they were formed because black students had been barred from traditional colleges.
“As education secretary, Ms. DeVos has limited ability to carry out school choice nationwide, at least without action from Congress. But her previous investments as a philanthropist are paying dividends.
“In 2013 and 2014, the most recent years for which financial disclosures are available, several organizations associated with Ms. DeVos invested over $7 million in school choice lobbying efforts in states now considering new bills. Americans for Prosperity, the activist group founded by the Koch brothers, and the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council are also pushing private school choice in statehouses across the country.
“The number of American students benefiting from private school choice programs now is relatively small. Estimates by EdChoice, the organization founded by Milton Friedman, the University of Chicago economist who first introduced the idea of vouchers, put the number at 446,000 this year, out of a total school-age population of 56 million. (Three million attend public charter schools, which Ms. DeVos also has championed and which generally do not accept vouchers.)
“Advocates say that expanding private school choice would allow parents to remove children from public schools that are not meeting their needs, and note that surveys show parents in existing programs have high satisfaction rates. Competition from private schools, they say, can help public schools improve.
“A lot of families want to have the choice,” Gov. Terry E. Branstad of Iowa said at a rally in January. “We want to make sure all those choices are available, and are as affordable as possible.”
“Traditional school voucher programs, which exist in 15 states and the District of Columbia, allow the government to pay private schools, many of them religious, directly. Tax credit scholarships, like the one that helps pay tuition for Ms. Kakayo’s daughter, are a newer and growing form of school choice. They allow individuals and corporations to receive credit on their state income taxes for donations to nonprofits that provide tuition aid to students. Iowa’s program, currently used by 11,000 students, has income limits — $73,800 for a family of four — and the average scholarship award is only $1,583.
“Iowa is one of the states where legislators this year proposed education savings accounts, an even more expansive benefit. The accounts give parents state money each year — under one proposal, in the form of a $5,000 debit card — that they can use on private school tuition, home schooling costs, online education or tutoring.
“Ms. Kakayo said she would welcome further tuition support from the state, which would allow her to save money for college for Alma and her younger sister, Anna-Palma, who also attends St. Theresa. Under one proposal, after a student graduates from high school, any money left in the account could be used for tuition at in-state colleges. “It would be very, very helpful,” she said.
“Both sides of the debate over the proposals ran marketing campaigns. A television ad from the Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education, a group Ms. DeVos has financially supported, said that “education savings accounts give parents the right to choose a school that meets their child’s needs.” The ad cited smaller class sizes and individual teacher attention, but did not use the term “private school.”
“A competing social media campaign by an online group called Iowans for Public Education satirically compared the accounts to “park savings accounts” that would allow parents to spend tax dollars on country club fees instead of public playgrounds.
“Opponents have called the programs a giveaway to religious institutions. All but five of the 140 schools currently participating in the program are Catholic or Protestant, and the Diocese of Des Moines is among those lobbying for the expansion….
“It is unclear, however, how much public support exists for any expansion. A Des Moines Register poll of 802 Iowans in February found that 58 percent opposed using public funds to pay for private education, while 35 percent supported the idea.
“Both public and private school leaders extol the excellence of public schools in Iowa — it had the nation’s highest high school graduation rate in 2015 — and speak proudly of cooperation between the two sectors.”
So, the billionaires want vouchers to disrupt the nation’s most successful school system.
Iowa citizens should oppose what amounts to a tax to pay for religious education and what amounts to a voucher in a debit card…what an invitation to scammers. How can anybody exercise oversight of the use of this money?
Catholic schools should be wary of this scheme, according to economists who have studied the issue of vouchers. Beyond the Classroom: The Implications of School Vouchers for Church Finances
Daniel M. Hungerman, Kevin J. Rinz, Jay Frymark NBER Working Paper No. 23159 Issued in February 2017
Abstract:
Governments have used vouchers to spend billions of dollars on private education; much of this spending has gone to religiously-affiliated schools. We explore the possibility that vouchers could create a financial windfall for religious organizations operating private schools and in doing so impact the spiritual, moral, and social fabric of communities.
We use a dataset of Catholic-parish finances from Milwaukee that includes information on both Catholic schools and the parishes that run them. We show that vouchers are now a dominant source of funding for many churches; parishes in our sample running voucher-accepting schools get more revenue from vouchers than from worshipers.
We also find that voucher expansion prevents church closures and mergers. Despite these results, we fail to find evidence that vouchers promote religious behavior: voucher expansion causes significant declines in church donations and church spending on non-educational religious purposes. The meteoric growth of vouchers appears to offer financial stability for congregations while at the same time diminishing their religious activities.
You may purchase this paper on-line in .pdf format from SSRN.com ($5) for electronic delivery.
The Home School community also has reasons to be concerned about vouchers. You can see the reasoning and some of their concerns here https://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000002/00000251.asp
America is the most religious of the major democracies but at the same time it is moving very rapidly in a secular direction. With abortion and gay rights and similar cultural/religious “defeats” the religious right feels the America they know is disappearing like spring snow. The answer they believe is in the schools.
Arguments about achievement are seeds on stone. The DeVos drive for vouchers is part of the culture wars. The way to fight is separation of church and state.
After years of being told that they are a state with the “best schools” it makes sense that Iowans might stand up and fight for their public schools. Being a state with one of the highest number of dominant-culture students in our nation, over the years it has been interesting to hear so many arguing that Iowa test scores are so “high” and that their school system is so “good.” Compare that to our nation’s culturally complicated, fully diverse but endlessly “failing” inner-city schools with their “bad” scores and their “broken” teachers—oh yes, the subliminal message we are all meant to hear is repeated for us over and over and over…
It’s full-blown voucher mania! We went from charter mania to voucher mania. Vouchers are the new “secret sauce”.
It took us a decade but we finally managed to drag Ohio lawmakers, kicking and screaming, back to expending some (if minimal) effort on the public schools that enroll 90% of children in this state. Most of them never enter a public school and frankly have no interest in doing so. They spend more time with out of state “choice” lobbyists than they do with the people who live here.
Is DeVos still working on her publicly-funded campaign to promote private schools?
When people hire ed reformers for these positions do they realize they have no interest in public schools? It baffles me why someone would hire people who spend 90% of their time promoting private schools to run public school policy. I wonder about it. Do private schools hire people who spend 90% of their time promoting public schools? Of course not. Why do public schools do this?
Democrats in Congress finally got around to opposing the Trump/DeVos voucher plan.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/key-democratic-senator-outlines-a-case-against-school-vouchers/2017/03/21/12e894de-0e68-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html?utm_term=.64f37f35b22a
Public school parents should demand more from lawmakers. It isn’t good enough that one faction in DC promotes vouchers and the other faction in DC opposes vouchers.
Public school children deserve a positive political and policy agenda for their schools.
Our schools are not the disfavored default schools that all of these politicians can take for granted. That’s not good enough. I want at least one real advocate in the US Congress who is FOR public schools. Not just opposed to vouchers and defending the continued existence of public schools. Working FOR public schools. Investing in them. Making them better.
Demand more than this grudging allowance that public schools exist. Demand real advocates.
I wonder how many of those Democrats who are opposed to school choice, exercise it for themselves. Al Franken (D-MN) sends his children to an exclusive private school.
The left’s opposition to school choice, is part of the overall war that the left has declared against children. See
http://mediatrackers.org/wisconsin/2014/11/20/lefts-war-children
they keep pushng the religious objection, even though it has been settled constitutional law for fifteen years.
Every poll shows that a majority of the public opposes public funding of religious schools.
In state referrals, vouchers have always lost, usually by margins like 68-32% as in DeVos’ Michigan.
Is a majority leftist? I don’t think so. The majority doesn’t want public money to underwrite religious schools.
Charles.
The Senator is not asking for public money. That is the entire argument here.
Q Every poll shows that a majority of the public opposes public funding of religious schools. END Q
I dispute this. How can you say that “every” poll shows opposition.
Here are some polls:
https://www.edchoice.org/school_choice_faqs/do-americans-favor-school-choice-policies/
(In 2015, 61% of respondents favored school choice)
see
https://www.the74million.org/article/poll-75-percent-of-millennials-support-school-choice-majority-of-americans-like-trumps-20-billion-plan
In this poll nearly 75% of respondents support school choice and federal tax credit scholarships
see
https://pjmedia.com/parenting/2017/01/17/new-poll-most-americans-back-parental-choice-in-education/
Here 68% of respondents support school choice.
I have found that many (NOT ALL) polls show broad support for school choice.
Charles,
You have not quoted any nonpartisan polls, only polls published by choice advocates. If there is so much support for vouchers, why have they been defeated at the polls every time they came up? You know that vouchers have been on state ballots 19 times. Every single time, voters refused to change their state constitution to permit public support for religious schools.
People only asked “Do you support school choice” includes thousand who support choice of which public school.
The question “do you support public money for private education?” Never gets close to a majority.
Q The question “do you support public money for private education?” Never gets close to a majority. END Q
Polls are subject to many factors, including the phrasing of the questions. Results can be “massaged” to deliver results favorable to the polling organizations.
The Roper organization is a non-partisan organization, which has conducted polling on this issue for some years.
If you think that people who do not support public money for private education never gets a majority, then you are wrong.
Respondents have proffered results that are favorable to the subsidy of private education by the public purse. The depth of the support varies by age, and other demographic factors.
(I used to work for the Dept of Commerce in statistical analysis)
see
https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/public-funds-private-education-polls-say/
Charles,
Please identify any state that ever passed a referendum changing the state constitution to permit spending public money on religious schools.
Name one. Just one.
In any referendum the opposition to vouchers will campaign that vouchers are public money going to private schools as they should.
Under these situations no referendum has ever passed.
Q Please identify any state that ever passed a referendum changing the state constitution to permit spending public money on religious schools.
Name one. Just one. END Q
No state has ever voted in a school choice program by referendum. I concede the point. Not all states have provisions in their constitutions to permit referenda (EX: Indiana).
The various states which have brought in school choice, have done so through the legislative process. Referenda are pure democracy. The state constitutions are “republican”, indicating that the various legislatures are charged with the legislative powers, on behalf of the people.
You must concede, that no state which has school choice/vouchers, has ever voted out or cancelled the program, either by referendum or legislation. The fact is, that every state which has brought in school choice, has either kept the programs or expanded them.
The Blaine Amendments, brought in in an era of religious bigotry, are going to be nullified very soon. The Supreme Court (US) has scheduled oral arguments on Trinity School District v. Pauley in April.
I will give you 8-5, that the SCOTUS finds for the plaintiff.
One by one, the barriers against school choice/vouchers are falling.
Try this. Take vouchers and charters and set them aside for a moment. What would a truly pro-public schools state legislature do or not do? Imagine if we had lawmakers who actually valued existing public schools- the schools kids are in now, today. What would they do?
That’s what I’m looking for. This defensive crouch where they reluctantly address public schools once they’re finished with charter and voucher promotion isn’t a high enough standard.
What if we had a couple of lawmakers who were as passionate about public schools as some lawmakers are about vouchers? Wouldn’t that be something?
We could have that. We don’t have it now but we could.
Having lots of money often if not always does not come with wisdom. In fact, wealth tends to encourage greed and the quest for more power that comes with great wealth, and that gets in the way of acquiring wisdom and the ability to reason with empathy.
i will concede, that wealth does not always accompany wisdom. Henry Ford never finished high school. Bill Gates was a dropout. Thomas Edison had very little formal education. I like to say, that children go to school, to learn about people like Steve Jobs, who dropped out of school and became very wealthy.
I dispute any claim, that wealth begets greed. Andrew Carnegie made a fortune in steel, and then gave away much of his fortune. Ted Turner made billions, and then gave much money away. Bill and Melinda gates set up a foundation, and have disbursed gobs of money. The Rockefellers gave away huge amounts of wealth.
Most “give” money away for tax benefits
Imagine a US Secretary of Education who was as passionate about existing public schools as Betsy DeVos and Jeb Bush are about private school vouchers?
Would 90% of public school students benefit from that level of commitment? I bet they would. Hire people who love public schools as much as these folks do private schools and see what happens. Then at least we would have two groups. We would have real advocates instead of these “agnostics” we somehow got stuck with.
Voucher promoters aren’t “agnostic” at all! They promote vouchers! Public school students deserve the same.
I’m going to a school meeting tonight. We’re raising money for the public schools because ed reformers are cutting more money. It’s the second time in 5 years we’ve had to fill essential funding gaps with local money and we don’t have a lot of money to spare here. It’s working class.
The group is led by a local businessman. He’s a great advocate. He loves our schools. It comes thru every time he leads one of these funding efforts and that’s why he’s successful at it.
Not “agnostic”! Biased as all get-out. He does this for free and it comes from love and that’s why he’s a great advocate. “Agnostics” make lousy advocates.
We could have political representatives like him. They’re out there.
Near where I live, in Montgomery County MD, a high school girl was raped (allegedly) by two high school males, in the high school . At least one of these males is an illegal alien. The school board meeting is Standing-room-only. The public school system is required to provide a free taxpayer-subsidized education at the public school.
Montgomery County MD has been a “sanctuary” community for some years, the authorities have not cooperated with the feds on immigration. This alleged rape, may lead to some re-thinking of this matter!
So what? How many boys have been raped in private catholic schools. Check out movie Spotlight.
Education reimagined is really worrisome.
https://emilytalmage.com/2017/03/22/anatomy-of-a-betrayal/
Again, how the hell can public tax money be used for parochial schools? I am a Christian, bit where is the ACLU on this? Some people bitch about kids saying the Pledge of Allegiance because it says “under God,” yet legislatures are playing ring-around-the-rosie with tax dollars going to religious schools!!! WTF?
An important point: Who/where ARE the keep-church-state-separate legal voices at this crucial moment?
This has been settled constitutional law for over 15 (fifteen) years. The case is Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002). The Supreme Court ruled that parents can receive school voucher payments, and redeem the vouchers at a parochial school, as long as the voucher program was part of an overall school choice program.
Q
In a 5-4 opinion delivered by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, the Court held that the program does not violate the Establishment Clause. The Court reasoned that, because Ohio’s program is part of Ohio’s general undertaking to provide educational opportunities to children, government aid reaches religious institutions only by way of the deliberate choices of numerous individual recipients and the incidental advancement of a religious mission, or any perceived endorsement, is reasonably attributable to the individual aid recipients not the government. Chief Justice Rehnquist wrote that the “Ohio program is entirely neutral with respect to religion. It provides benefits directly to a wide spectrum of individuals, defined only by financial need and residence in a particular school district. It permits such individuals to exercise genuine choice among options public and private, secular and religious. The program is therefore a program of true private choice.” ENDQ
Quote is from oyez.org see https://www.oyez.org/cases/2001/00-1751
Charles,
I am tired of answering the same comment over and over and over again.
Why don’t you post at The 74? Or Betsy DeVos’s blog? Or one of the many billionaire-funded blogs that support the diversion of public money to private and religious schools?
If the matter were settled, we wouldn’t be debating it, would we?
Q If the matter were settled, we wouldn’t be debating it, would we? END Q
The constitutionality of school choice/vouchers has been settled for a decade and a half. Do you really think, that the issue is not settled? Why would you think that the matter is still open to debate?
Zelman v. Simmons-Harris is like Brown v. Board of Education, settled constitutional precedent.
Charles,
I live in New York. There are no vouchers for religious schools, even though Orthodox Jews and Roman Catholics would like to have them. If the matter is settled, why is it being debated?
Q I live in New York. There are no vouchers for religious schools, even though Orthodox Jews and Roman Catholics would like to have them. If the matter is settled, why is it being debated? END Q
New York State, has not yet joined the family of states which provide for school choice. The Empire state, may never bring in school choice/vouchers. That is the terrific benefit of 50 states; you get 50 state laboratories, where ideas can be tried. What works in Delaware may not work in Idaho. I have a brother in Syracuse. He sent his daughters to public schools there, and he was delighted with them.
I only state, that the constitutionality of providing parents with vouchers to be utilized at schools of the parent’s choice, is settled constitutional law. I cannot imagine a challenge being mounted against Zelman. And, I cannot imagine a Supreme Court with Trump appointees, ever giving certiorari to a case. And, I cannot imagine a conservative court overturning Zelman. “Stare decisis”, is the custom and practice of the Supreme Court.
I am amazed, that after 15 years, so many people are unaware of the fact. I have often advocated for increased “civics” education in public schools. You need not have a law degree, to understand basic constitutional law.
I once attended a meeting in Jackson Tenn. There were about 500 people present. The speaker said he did not know where the right of privacy came from. I raised my hand, and told him about Griswold v. Connecticut (1965). No other person in the meeting had ever heard of this case.
Charles,
Sadly, vouchers have been tried and failed in several states, such as Indiana, Louisiana, and Ohio. The research is clear.
Kids are actually harmed by vouchers. Their test scores decline.
Why do you want more kids to be harmed?
If you cared about children and education, you would fight for improving public schools, which enroll 90% of our nation’s children.
In Idaho 45 years ago, it was permitted for a public school to allow religious instruction in a classroom but this instruction was not funded by the state. This instruction could have been done before, during, or after school. It could be done by a teacher or non-teacher. I know for certain that Mormons and Catholics had such classes. I suspect other denominations may have also.
Today if a “religious school” spent 75% of the school day offering instruction that was non-religious, I would have no quarrel with that school receiving funding from the state that did not exceed 75% of the funding received by a traditional public school.
Currently most of those of wealth can attend religious schools but few of the poor can do so. I see this funding issue as more a case of freedom of religion than the state funding or establishing a particular religion. Many current funding practices seem anti-religion.
“I see this funding issue as more a case of freedom of religion than the state funding or establishing a particular religion. Many current funding practices seem anti-religion.”
NO! It’s not a “case of freedom of religion”. That misguided meme whereby religion is not religion unless one can enforce their religious views onto everyone else. The regressive reactionary religious right has pushed for this type of irrational thought into the courts to help them establish their xtian caliphate. That is their final goal. It’s stated by them in many places and by many closed minded religious reactionaries including the current Secretary of Ed, Betsy the xtian DeBoss.
When the world finally rids itself of the falsehoods, mythologies and contradictions of the “god almighty” is the day true freedom and liberty start.
Mr. Swacker, In 2002 the US Supreme Court ruled the voucher programs in use in Ohio constitutional. You apparently have an anti-religion bias. None of the voucher programs of which I am away come any where close to funding full tuition. It seems you would find a situation in which the rich who have the resources can choose to send their children to “religious” schools while most of the poor have no such opportunity. There is zero intent of enforcing religious views on anyone through vouchers as enrollment in these schools is voluntary. Schools that are not religious are also funded through vouchers as well.
It seems that current voucher funding falls short of fully funding even the non-religious classes taught during the school day. It appears your vision of “the day true freedom starts” is a society that seeks freedom from religion rather than to provide its citizens freedom of religion.
Yep, I am “anti-religion”.
I seek not “freedom from religion” as I have already realized that. But I do seek a society without magical mythical metaphysical religious faith “beliefs” dominating society based on whatever the particular person wants that belief based on and that is verifiable to no one other than the believer him/herself.
It’s quite clear not only from an historical perspective but also in this current age, that religious beliefs have wrought way too much death and destruction against those who do not have certain “faith” beliefs. To hell with those “faith” beliefs. And don’t expect my tax dollars to pay for teaching those beliefs, especially since those schools claiming “religious exemption” don’t pay their fair share of taxes to begin with.
The day this country elects an atheist to the presidency is the day we will truly exhibit and enjoy “religious” freedom and liberty from dogmatic faith beliefs. Until then let the religious believe what they want but do not expect me to pay for their personal insanities of faith beliefs.
Sound rough and strident??
It’s meant to because that is exactly how those who espouse those faith beliefs appear to those of us who do not share those faith beliefs. Especially those prevaricators who clamor for “religious freedom” (which they already have) in guise of instituting their own brand of faith beliefs into society in general. And yes that is what the xtian fundamentalist dominionists have been doing for decades now.
Oh, but Duane, play nice!
Screw that!
No PUBLIC money should be used to support religion. Not one penny. Not ever.
The public money is being used to educate children in a manner their parents choose. Vouchers are not used to support any particular religion. Given the size of tuition vouchers, is religious instruction being funded?
Religious people are very concerned that without support in schools, religion will die out or become inconsequential in American public life.
If it cannot survive on private time after school and on weekends then it is destined to fail. Society will become more secular at a faster rate. I have no problem with this. In fact I hope the process moves along more quickly.
I like this short story:
[start short story
Sri Yukteswar used to poke gentle fun at the commonly inadequate conceptions of renunciation.
“A beggar cannot renounce wealth,” Master would say. “If a man laments: ‘My business has failed; my wife has left me; I will renounce all and enter a monastery,’ to what worldly sacrifice is he referring? He did not renounce wealth and love; they renounced him!”
Saints like Gandhi, on the other hand, have made not only tangible material sacrifices, but also the more difficult renunciation of selfish motive and private goal, merging their inmost being in the stream of humanity as a whole.
[end short story]
To parallel the short story, I would re-write:
“Greedy/corrupted businessmen/academic leaders cannot renounce wealth,” Master would say. “If a man laments: ‘My business has failed; my spouse/partner has left me; I will renounce all and enter a monastery,’ to what worldly sacrifice is he referring? He did not renounce wealth and love; workers and their enemies renounced him!”
On the other hand, these corrupted souls, who did not only make any tangible material sacrifices, but also they have difficulty to renounce their selfish motive and private goal, are merging their inmost being in the stream of being savage. Back2basic
I raised 4 children. All went to public school and college in Iowa.I continue to work full time and pay tax to the state of Iowa. My property tax supports our local school. I want my tax dollar to continue to support public schools, not private or religious schools. Let the tax payers have a state wide vote on this matter instead of our representatives who we can no longer trust to make sound decisions that keep Iowa strong.
Governer Branstad I want a choice in where my hard earned tax dollars are spent!
Ms. Parkinson, If there were no private or religious schools in Iowa, the cost of supporting Iowa public schools would be greater and it would take even more tax dollars to support Iowa’s public schools.
Nobody cares about that. Look at the vote in Massachusetts on charter expansion or any statewide vote on vouchers. Look at polling.
People just do not want to give public money to private schools, religious or secular. Period full stop.
In Ontario Canada the Conservative party ran on public $ for private schools. They got clobbered.
Reblogged this on rjknudsen.
Mr. Little as a nation in many ways we are trending toward a situation that is somewhat analogous to that which Thomas Paine revolted against.
Yes I understand. A very rich elite at the top with all the money and power. I would revolt as well but nevertheless there is no support for your position.
US Supreme Court 2002 supports my position…. seems you are over stating NO Support. … Ever lived in fly over country? Does NO Support mean 0% or just less than 50%?
There has not been a state yet that approved vouchers in a referendum. It only came from GOP majorities ramming it down majorities throats. Let’s have a national referendum winner take all. Vouchers would be swamped.
Seems like it is not just the oligarchs… there are a large number of bureaucratic upper level administrators involved as well. The idea that the populace is too stupid to determine the course of their lives and family members lives and needs substantial direction from Big Brother seems to be more prevalent with each passing day. Last I checked freedom of religion was still available and supposedly to all.
On Rick Hess … The importance of the messy middle.
My conservative friends and colleagues value many of the same things I, a self-professed liberal, value. We value liberty—the freedom from and the freedom to. Freedom from burdensome and limiting regulations, freedom from persecution, freedom to live a life as we see fit, freedom to innovate. We value equality. We believe that all children are equally deserving of an excellent education that gives them the best possible shot at living the good life. These shared values are, in the abstract, neither conservative nor liberal—but, in education policy conversations, they tend to be framed in opposition to one another.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rick_hess_straight_up/2017/03/the_importance_of_the_messy_middle.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news3
To Danaher M Dempsey Jr:
Can we trust corporate who buys the current American Administration (Government)?
Please read these links:
1) http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/27/the-reclusive-hedge-fund-tycoon-behind-the-trump-presidency?mbid=social_twitter
2) http://www.npr.org/2017/03/22/521083950/inside-the-wealthy-family-that-has-been-funding-steve-bannon-s-plan-for-years
IRRESPONSIBLE and CORRUPTED Corporate and education reform organizations try:
1) to loot Public fund,
2) to destroy Public education,
3) to eliminate Union in the workforce, and
4) to exploit worker with minimum wages that cannot afford to pay off the BASIC cost of living, healthcare, dental-care, and tuition fee.
5) Most of all, to undermine American democracy by manipulating legal system FOR the advantage TO the rich = or in your word: “…Freedom from burdensome and limiting regulations,”
In your own contradicting thought and expression:
1) Danaher M Dempsey Jr
March 23, 2017 at 1:47 pm
We value liberty. We value equality. We believe that all children are equally deserving of an excellent education that gives them the best possible shot at LIVING THE GOOD LIFE.
BUT, you also said that:
2) Danaher M Dempsey Jr
March 23, 2017 at 1:41 pm
The idea that THE POPULACE is TOO STUPID TO DETERMINE the course of their lives and family members’ lives and NEEDS SUBSTANTIAL DIRECTION from Big Brother seems to be more prevalent with each passing day.
In short, please articulate to explain to all readers in this forum that:
how the STUPID POPULACE that needs substantial direction from ED reformers and corporate can ” equally deserve an excellent education” and receive “the best possible shot at LIVING THE GOOD LIFE”?
I am sorry to see the potential in you who will follow the footsteps of Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Roger Stone et all… who are very good with ALTERNATIVE FACTS’ VOCABULARY. Back2basic
As a retired public school teacher I got more than a little tired of some of the mandates handed down from the state legislators who had never been in a classroom except for their own education. However, for the most part education has improved. What has not improved is the amount of time teachers have to spend documenting every little detail, taking time away from actually educating. That being said, what system will be in place to oversee private schools, to see to it they are meeting the high standards that are demanded of our public schools? My guess is none, because the bottom line will be the measure of of success for these for-profit schools.